Ever since Red and Blue landed on the Game Boy in the late nineties, the elemental rock-paper-scissors mechanic has been the beating heart of the franchise. It’s the first thing you learn. Fire beats Grass. Water douses Fire. Simple, right? But if you’re trying to list Pokemon by type in the modern era, specifically with the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and the shifting tides of the VGC (Video Game Championships), you quickly realize it's a mess. A beautiful, strategic, 18-type mess.
Back in Gen 1, we only had 15 types. Dark and Steel didn’t show up until Johto because Psychic types were basically gods that needed a nerf. Then Fairy arrived in Gen 6 to slap the Dragons down a peg. Today, we’re looking at a massive roster of over 1,000 monsters. Memorizing them all is a nightmare. Honestly, most players just rely on muscle memory or a second screen, but understanding the nuances of how these types interact is what separates a casual player from someone who actually wins Regionals.
The Dual-Type Complexity
Most people don't just want a flat list. They want to know why certain combinations dominate. A mono-type list is fine for beginners, but the real game lives in the dual-type pairings. Take the Steel type. On its own, it’s the best defensive typing in the game. It resists almost everything. But slap a Bug typing on it—like with Scizor or Forretress—and suddenly that crippling 4x weakness to Fire becomes your only real problem.
It’s about trade-offs.
When you look at a list Pokemon by type, you’ll see some types are overrepresented. Water types are everywhere. There are nearly 160 of them. On the flip side, Ice and Ghost types are relatively rare. This scarcity matters. If you’re building a team, you can’t just pick your favorites; you have to account for the "Type Coverage" meta. If you don't have a reliable way to hit a Fairy/Steel type like Tinkaton, you're basically asking to lose.
The Power of the "Big Three" Defensive Types
- Steel: The gold standard. It has ten resistances and one total immunity (Poison). If a Pokemon has Steel in its profile, it’s immediately viable. Look at Gholdengo. It’s a Ghost/Steel type that has dominated the competitive circuit since it debuted.
- Fairy: Introduced to balance the game, it ended up becoming a powerhouse. Immunity to Dragon is huge. Its only weaknesses are Poison and Steel, two types that weren't traditionally offensive powerhouses until Fairy forced them to be.
- Water: Often overlooked because it’s common. But Water only has two weaknesses: Electric and Grass. It’s incredibly sturdy.
Why You Should List Pokemon by Type Before Building a Team
You’ve probably been there. You spend hours breeding a perfect IV Garchomp only to get swept by a random Flutter Mane because you forgot about the Fairy-type speed tier. Browsing a list Pokemon by type isn't just for filling a Pokedex; it’s a scouting report.
In the current Regulation G and H cycles of competitive play, we see a lot of "Type Cores." The Fire-Water-Grass core is the classic. Think of it like a tripod. If you have Ogerpon (Grass), Urshifu Rapid-Strike (Water), and Incineroar (Fire), you can pivot around almost any threat. Incineroar is particularly annoying. It’s been the king of the meta for years because of its Intimidate ability and Fake Out pressure, but its Fire/Dark typing is what really makes it a Swiss Army knife.
Breaking Down the 18 Types
Normal Types
They’re the "boring" ones, but they only have one weakness: Fighting. They’re immune to Ghost. A Pokemon like Blissey or Snorlax can sit on the field for an eternity if you don't have a high-attack Close Combat user ready to go.
Fire Types
Offensive powerhouses. They can’t be burned, which is a massive mechanical advantage. Charizard remains the poster child here, but Koraidon has recently taken over the "Sun" archetype, making Fire types even more terrifying.
Grass Types
Often seen as the weakest defensive type because they have five weaknesses. However, they are the only ones immune to "Spore" and "Sleep Powder." In a game where losing a turn to sleep means losing the match, that’s vital. Amoonguss is the MVP here. It’s a mushroom that everyone hates because it just won't die.
Electric Types
Only one weakness: Ground. That’s it. If you give an Electric type the "Levitate" ability—like Eelektross—it technically has no weaknesses at all. Fast, hard-hitting, and great for pivoting with Volt Switch.
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Psychic Types
They’ve fallen from grace since the 90s. With Dark and Steel types everywhere, Psychic moves are harder to land. Still, monsters like Mewtwo or Calyrex-Shadow Rider prove that if you give a Psychic type enough raw stats, it doesn't matter how many weaknesses they have.
Fighting Types
The primary answer to the "Big Three" defensive types. You need Fighting moves to crack through Steel and Normal walls. Iron Valiant is a great modern example, mixing Fighting with Fairy to create a glass cannon that can rip through almost anything.
Poison Types
Mostly used for utility. They can't be poisoned and they soak up Toxic Spikes just by switching in. Since Fairy types became popular, Poison-type moves like Sludge Bomb have seen a massive uptick in usage.
Ground Types
The only type that can hit Electric for super effective damage. Ground is arguably the best offensive type in the game. Earthquake is a staple move for a reason. Great Tusk, a Ground/Fighting Paradox Pokemon, has been one of the most used creatures in the Gen 9 meta for this exact reason.
Flying Types
Immune to Ground. This is the most important interaction in the game. If your opponent is clicking Earthquake, you switch to a Flying type. It’s the ultimate "get out of jail free" card.
Rock Types
Tough to use. Five weaknesses. But they get a 50% Special Defense boost in a Sandstorm. Tyranitar has lived and died by this mechanic for decades.
Bug Types
Generally considered the weakest. They have a lot of resistances, but their offensive coverage is poor. Still, moves like U-turn are so good that almost every team wants a Bug-type move, even if they don't want a Bug-type Pokemon.
Ghost Types
The tricksters. Two immunities (Normal and Fighting). They are the only type that can't be "trapped" in battle by moves like Mean Look or abilities like Shadow Tag.
Dragon Types
The legends. They resist the primary elements (Fire, Water, Grass, Electric). For twenty years, if you didn't have a Dragon on your team, you weren't trying. Fairy types changed that, but Dragons like Dragonite and Roaring Moon are still top-tier threats.
Steel Types
As mentioned, the wall. If you’re making a list Pokemon by type, the Steel section is where you find your anchors.
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Dark Types
Immune to Psychic and, more importantly, immune to the "Prankster" ability. This means status moves from Pokemon like Whimsicott or Grimmsnarl won't work on them.
Ice Types
The "Glass Cannons." Terrible defensively, but they hit Dragon, Ground, and Flying types for massive damage. Chien-Pao has recently made Ice types scary again by lowering the defense of everyone else on the field.
Fairy Types
The dragon slayers. They are essential for any competitive team.
Stellar Type
The newcomer from the Indigo Disk DLC. It doesn’t have defensive properties but boosts the power of every move type once per Terastallization. It’s weird, niche, and highly technical.
The Terastal Phenomenon: Why Type Lists are Now Fluid
You can't talk about a list Pokemon by type in 2026 without mentioning Terastallization. This mechanic allows any Pokemon to change its type mid-battle.
Imagine you’re facing a Tera-Water Garganacl. You think you’re hitting a Rock type with a Grass move, but suddenly it’s a Water type and your move is less effective. Or a Tera-Flying Kingambit that suddenly dodges an Earth Power. This has flipped the script on traditional typing.
Nuance is everything. You aren't just looking at what a Pokemon is; you’re looking at what it could be. When scouting a team, experts look for "Defensive Tera" (changing to a type with fewer weaknesses) versus "Offensive Tera" (changing to a type to get a 2x damage boost on your main attacks).
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Actionable Tips for Using Type Matchups Effectively
If you're serious about climbing the ladder or just beating your friends, stop just looking at the "Super Effective" pop-ups. You need to internalize the resistances.
- Check your coverage: Go to a team builder tool and input your six Pokemon. Look for "Type Holes." If three of your Pokemon are weak to Rock, a single Tyranitar or Terrakion will sweep you.
- Prioritize Immunities: A team with zero immunities is a team that is easy to predict. You need at least one Ground type (for Electric) or one Ghost type (for Fighting/Normal) to force your opponent to think twice before clicking their strongest move.
- Don't ignore the "Rare" types: Everyone prepares for Fire and Water. Not everyone is ready for a well-played Poison or Bug type. Using the "underdog" types can often give you a psychological edge because your opponent doesn't know the damage calcs by heart.
- Abuse the Secondary Effects: Remember that Electric types can't be paralyzed, Fire types can't be burned, and Ice types can't be frozen. Sometimes you switch into a move not because of the damage, but to protect your sweeper from a status condition.
Mastering the list Pokemon by type is a lifelong journey for a trainer. The game changes every few years, but the core logic remains. Use these elemental interactions as your foundation, but always stay flexible enough to adapt when a Tera-Ghost Fighting-type suddenly appears across the field.
Next Steps for Your Training
- Open your current team in a spreadsheet or a team builder.
- Identify which single type can hit more than three of your team members for Super Effective damage.
- Replace one member or change a Tera Type to specifically counter that "Type Hole."
- Test the new composition in ten matches to see if your defensive synergy feels tighter.
Tactical typing is the difference between a loss and a narrow victory. Start looking at your roster as a puzzle of overlapping resistances rather than just a collection of cool monsters.